San Pedro (port for Los Angeles)

Saturday we were in LA, sorta.  San Pedro is a huge port, the largest in the Western Hemisphere.  With very little to do near by.  We walked to a very large craft building, with many vendors.  We were hoping to find a Christmas tree ornament, which we try to collect from all ports we visit.  We found nothing.  We will be back at the end of the month to get on a cruise to Mexico.  Maybe we will find something then.

But.. the walk was the best and worst of it. There is an outdoor music venue across the street from the ship. A punk band called NOFX.  An LA bank with the final three shows this weekend of what, a tour?  The band's existence?  There was a line many blocks long, maybe over a half mile long.  Maybe four wide on the side walk.

Tattoos galore.  Punk mohawks six or eight inches high in every color. Shaved head otherwise.  Crazy t shirts and jackets.

These were not kids.  At least chronologically.  Outdoors on a hot day, on blacktop, no shade, no seats.  General admission $209.  VIP, although we could not see a different area for VIPs, the tickets were $520.  Maybe VIP meant very intense punks?

The worst part of it?  We walked along the route that GOOGLE maps gave for walking.  It had us crossing the street at an 'intersection' with no light or crosswalk.  That's what it said, that's what we did, assuming that, like at home, pedestrians have the right of way even if not in a crosswalk.  Another couple was doing the same, so we looked and walked together.  Squealing tires from a beater truck with a finger waving driver taught us the error of our assumption.

People on ships are generally very nice.  Colleen found the odd one.  A lady told to her to take her mask off, that she "looked stupid" in it.  Sadly, John was not there to say something like "better to look stupid in a mask than ugly without it".  Or something not so subtle.  Then the lady could also say she met the odd one!